Hackers use viruses to extract crucial data from infected devices along with other information, such as banking details, User ID, passwords, important files, browsing history, business data and more. This post discusses the security risks a public WiFi connection poses and provides the best tips to prevent the danger when connecting online.
Security Risk Does a Public WiFi Connection Pose:
Data Interception
Hackers use special software to intercept and read the data packets of users who use public internet connections on their devices. Using this, they can easily track online activities and capture users’ passwords, credit card numbers, and private messages.
Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks
Malware Distribution
Cybercriminals use free-to-use internet services in public places to distribute malware. If your device is infected with malware, it can enable automatic file-sharing and send the information to the black hats or vice versa. Viruses can modify device settings and show fake notifications and links on the display. When the user clicks these fake pop-ups and follows the prompts, it leads them to unexpected results.
Fake Wi-Fi Hotspots
Black hats create fake WiFi networks that look like legitimate connections. When users look at them in their device network search, they take them for real and, without much thinking, connect to the network. As soon as they do this, all the user data is directed to the hackers. When it happens, hackers can easily compromise confidential data and track the internet activities of the users.
Automatic Connections
Session Hijacking
Unencrypted Network Traffic
How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Connections?
Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
VPN is one of the best internet security tools that securely connect your device to the freely available internet networks in public places. It encrypts data and creates a secure tunnel to connect to external internet services. Most importantly, it hides your IP address and device location, which prevents hackers from locating your device. Due to this, they won’t be able to distribute malware or intercept your online activities.
Stick to HTTPS Websites
Disable File Sharing and AirDrop
What It Does: File sharing, including services like AirDrop, lets you share files with other devices. On public Wi-Fi, this feature can leave your device open to unauthorized connections.
How It Helps: By disabling file sharing, you prevent other users on the network from accessing or sending unwanted files to your device. You can usually find this option in your device’s settings or system preferences.
Turn Off Automatic Connections
Avoid Accessing Sensitive Information
Keep Your System Up To Date
Use Antivirus Protection
Using robust 360 Antivirus Pro software on your device to protect from a wide range of online dangers. Antivirus protects against malware, ransomware, spyware, hijackers, and malicious online sites. It deep cleans the system of hidden viruses, unwanted programs, and files to boost the overall PC performance. Along with this, smart antivirus comes with advanced tools like real-time protection, heuristic analysis, and browser security that ensure complete peace of mind from online dangers.
